


oh, my dear

by jayyxx



Series: short & maybe unfinished [4]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Age Regression/De-Aging, Kid Fic, M/M, Unfinished
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-23
Updated: 2016-01-23
Packaged: 2018-05-15 17:05:38
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,448
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5792800
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jayyxx/pseuds/jayyxx
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>after insisting she come with them on a hunt, claire is zapped by a witch, turning her into a seven month old baby. Sam is also hurt by the witch, causing him to be drunk off witch-juice and dooming to bed-rest.</p>
            </blockquote>





	oh, my dear

**Author's Note:**

> this work is unfinished and will remain that way.

“Oh my god, make it shut up.” Dean begged, digging the heal of his hand into his eyes. 

“I…Uh…Don’t know what she wants?” Castiel says, holding Claire at arms length to get a better look at her. He had done everything the internet said, but she still wouldn’t stop crying. 

“Try something!” Dean yelps, praying the ringing in his ears will stop soon.   
 “I don’t know how to help her!” Castiel fights, bringing Claire back against his chest. 

“Here…” Sam coughs, pushing up on his elbow so he’s almost sitting up on the mattress. “Give ‘er to me.”

“No way.” Dean bites. “You’re gonna make her sick. Cas, give her to me.” He reaches out and Castiel passes her over happily, dropping his hands to his sides. He watches Dean cradle the girl in his arms and sway where he stands. He bounces Claire in his arms a bit while looking over the steps Yahoo Answers is supplying them with. 

“Tried that, did that, didn’t work… Sing? Did we sing to her? Or… uh, a bath? That might calm her down?”

Dean garbles, juggling trying to keep Claire situated where she rests on his shoulder and using the laptop’s trackpad to scroll. 

“Yeah. Cas, fill the sink with warm water.” Sam supplies, not bothering to open his eyes or move at all Castiel looks to Dean before shrugging. The movement is very human and it almost hurts Dean. Claire makes a calm noise and thats when Dean notices that the baby has slowed her tears. Dean retracts her from his neck and looks at her. Blue eyes watery and red-rimmed, but she's quiet. Dean wants to pass her off to the angel and sleep for the next eight days but he’s already over at the sink, filling the basin. He walks to stand beside him, feeling the water for himself.   
 “Jesus, Cas. You wanna burn her right out of her skin?” Dean snaps, shaking his red hand out and sucking the two fingers he just placed in the boiling-hot water into his mouth to cool them. Castiel seems terrified at the thought of burning Claire, and starts to fiddle with the nobs. Dean smacks his hands away and just passes the child off to the other man. Claire starts crying. 

Sam laughs, half high on pain meds, but also half asleep. “It’s like she will only stop if you’re holdin’ her.” Dean’s head smacks back around to look at her, before scooping her up, praying this isn't the case. But she stops, breathing heavy in his hold where she is curled on his chest. 

“Dammit. It’s because I was the first to touch her.” He explains. After Claire had been zapped, Dean ran to her, yelling “no!” and “please!” before sliding on the floor and curling his body around the teenager-turned-baby. Since he was the first to touch her, he formed a connection with her and the witches powers within her. It was the same when a witch zapped him, he was bonded to Sam. 

“Shit.” He muttered before apologizing for swearing in front of an infant. He shakes his head. Everything is fine. 

He checks the water in the sink again before putting her on the table to undress her.   
 “Uh, maybe you should do this…” He says to castiel, who is a calming presence at his shoulder.   
 “Why?”   
 “Uh.. You’re her dad. Nothing you haven’t seen.”  
 “I am not her dad. I have seen nothing of the sorts.” Castiel argues, even though he knows what Dean is implying. Dean pouts and strips the girl of the flannel that had been wrapped around her. He ignores who this baby really is and just focuses on dealing with what she is now. He slowly introduces her to the water before letting her rest in the soapy water. 

“We are gonna need some stuff if she's gonna stay with us.” Dean says, softly running his hand over her head, dragging warm water and soap with it. 

Castiel nods, “like diapers.”  
 “Exactly.” Dean says  
 “I’ll go!” Sam shouts, trying to untangle his feet from the blankets.  
 “Nope, you’re not going anywhere, chuckles. Cas will go. I’ll make you a list.” Castiel stares blankly at him. “It won’t take too long.” Dean assures him with a soft smile. Cas nods and heads to find some paper. 

Castiel returns two hours later, arms loaded with bags. He drops the bags like stones on the floor and goes to flick on the lights.   
 He looks over to the sink, expecting Dean to still be standing there. When he isn’t, and the sink is drained and dried, he looks to the beds. Sam is out cold and Dean is curled around Claire in the other bed. Cas catches himself smiling in the mirror over the sink across the room, and shakes himself out of it. There was nothing cute about a grown man snuggled with a towel wrapped baby. 

Castiel strides over to the bed and pries Claire out of Dean’s arms. Her blue eyes flutter open and he pours grace between his fingers to keep her from crying.   
 “You hungry?” He asks, taking a seat at the table and setting her on his knee. He sorts through that things he’s bought and pulls out a box of diapers, a little purple jumper, and baby food.

She makes grabby hands at the bright colours on the table, but gets distracted when Dean rolls over in his bed. He pushes out of the covers, looking across the lit room at Castiel and Claire, sitting at the table watching his movements.

“You’re back.” Dean states dryly. Cas gives a simple head tilt in response and turns to organizing the items he bought. Dean pushes up from the bed and pads his bare feet over to them.

“Here, hand her over, I’ll get her in a diaper.” Says Dean, still rubbing sleep out of his eyes. He pulls Claire from Cas’ lap and places her on the table. He puts a diaper on her like he’s done it a thousand times. Cas arranges the baby food and pulls out the little blue spoon. It’s tiny in his fingers and he finds it cute. The woman at the store also wrote him a list. “Babies don’t come with an instruction manual, Sam.” He’d heard Dean say, but now he had a guide line on what was good and what was bad. He pulled out the purple footy pyjamas and hands it to Dean, who slides it over her arms and buttons the front. 

“All done.” Dean says to Claire, who is drooling on his shoulder at the sight of the food on the table. Dean sits her in his lap, seeing how she can sit up on her own, and control the movements of her head. He checks her mouth for teeth and sees two, poking through the front. 

“She has to be seven months.”  
 “You really know a lot about babies.” Castiel smirks as he opens a jar of jelly that looks like applesauce. It’s labeled to be “peas and carrots” and that doesn’t sound appetizing at all. He hands the spoon to Dean, who sticks it in her mouth.   
 “I’ve always wanted a kid. Y’know. Like starting over.” Dean ignores the way Castiel is staring at him. The way he looks when he’s interested. Blue eyes fixed on him, watching him like he watches the stars at night. Dean’s stomach hurts at the sight. Castiel; with his hair messed and trench coat tossed aside long ago, his sleeves pushed to his elbows. The neon green light from the sign outside lighting his face in a way that makes him look way to hot for his own good. The light catching on his jaw, cheekbone, the edge of his brow. Dean has to clear his throat, feeling like he short circuited.  
 “I’m… Uh, sorry I was so rude to you. It wasn't your fault and… we really gotta’ work together.” Dean states, digging up another spoon full and feeding Claire.  
 “I know, Dean. It’s fine.”

“Yeah but…—“  
 “Dean, you missed her mouth.” Cas states and Dean laughs as he looks down. It’s a tired noise, caused by bright blue eyes hidden under tufts of blonde hair that look up at him in frustration because of the splotch of food on her cheek. He smiles so bright. Dean scoops the food of her cheek and feeds it back into her mouth. He brushes a hand through her hair and looks up to smile at Castiel. 

They sit together in silence, watching her eat until she’s yawning. That’s when Dean bundles her up in a small white blanket Castiel had bought and carries her to the bed. He flops down with her cradled to his chest, and signals for Cas to turn off the lights. When the room falls dark, and Dean is cuddled up with the baby under soft sheets, Castiel closes his eyes in contentment. This isn’t going to be that bad. 

+++

Claire is pressed against his side when he wakes up. She’s moved down the bed a bit, but is still snuggled into him. She has a hand curled in his teeshirt and is huffing soft breaths against his side. Dean presses up on his hand, trying not to jolt her out of sleep. Castiel is at the table, browsing the words in his book with his feet propped on another chair. There is bags of greasy food on the table and Dean’s stomach grumbles. 

“Claire, baby…” He says, wincing at calling the once annoying teenager a pet name. “Let’s go eat something, hey?” Dean scoops her into his arms as he climbs out of bed. Sam is blinking the sleep out of his eyes.   
 “Hey, you feel any better?” Dean asks him, leaning down and petting Sam’s hair. Sam gives a goofy smile and shrugged.   
 “Can I hold her?” Sam gushed, reaching long arms out to her. Dean agrees, but only if he sits on the floor, he doesn’t want his brother to drop her and have her fall off the bed. He wanders to Castiel and plops Claire on the table. She scoots over to where Castiel has his elbow resting on the table and makes grabby hands at him. Dean watches as Castiel scoops her off the table and curls her in his arms. She looks so content to just snuggle up against her father and be spoon fed by him. A smile plays on the corner of Cas’ lips as he watches her. One hand curled around his index finger as he scooped applesauce into her mouth. It makes Dean’s heart twist. He wonders why just yesterday, Cas was afraid to hold the damn kid, and now they are all snuggly and cutesy. It almost scares him how quick they moved into a domestic parenting life. 

“Pass me the computer.” Sam commands, looking more sober then just five minutes ago. Dean passes it to him and listens to the keys click as he watches Cas and Claire. Dean snags a piece of bacon from the first bag before passing it to Sam and settling beside Cas to eat. He digs into greasy food while Cas feeds Claire her baby food. 

“I wonder what that would taste like…” Dean ponders aloud. 

“Probably nasty.” Sam tells. “Okay, so I found a site that explains de-ageing spells.” He says while simultaneously slapping himself in the cheek to keep himself awake. “It says the power will fade naturally and depending on the age of the person before the spell and the age they were turned to, it should only take a few months for them to return to their original age.”  
 “Okay, so is there no reverse spell?” Dean asks around a mouth full of bacon. 

“Oh! Yes! Right here, uhh… Blood of the receiver, frankincense, hyacinth, lilac, pine, sage, rabbit foot, pure water.”  
 “Hmm.” Dean hummed. That didn’t seem too bad. “What if it doesn't work?”  
 “Then we’ll have to wait it out.” Castiel says, bouncing Claire in his lap. Dean nodded, looking over at Sam who’s eyes were drooping, body slumping against the headboard. 

“Hey.” Dean starts, standing from the table and walking over to where his brother is laying. He closes the laptop and puts it on the bedside table. Sam watches with tired eyes. He hasn’t eaten his breakfast —or much at all these past few days— and hasn’t drank any water. Dean holds the glass to his lips and Sam takes it with a happy moan. He pushes Sam down so he’s laying and pulls the covers over his chest.    
“You sleep for a bit longer, we’ll take Claire and get that stuff. Eat your breakfast when you wake up.” Dean orders using his mothering voice. Sam just rolled over and was almost immediately asleep again.   They dressed themselves and Claire in silence. Quietly sneaking around and digging through bags before all three were ready to head out. Claire sat quietly in Castiel’s hold after Dean told her to “shh!” because “Uncle Sammy” was sleeping. She seemed tired anyways, and was content to lay against her fathers chest. 

“So, I think we can get this stuff from like, a grocery store…” Dean notes, reading over the list and pointing too the spices near the bottom. They sit in the front seat of the impala, with Claire on Castiel’s lap and Dean driving. 

They pick up pure water, pine and sage at a grocery store, like Dean had thought. Though frankincense and hyacinth was harder to find, they found some at a local market. They picked up lilac on the side of the road and were now left with a rabbits foot. 

“Why don’t we just go to the pet store?” Dean asks around a mouth full of popcorn they also picked up at the market. “Don’t you want a three-legged pet rabbit!?” He asks Claire, who just giggles at the attention.   
“Dean, that’s inhumane. We will find a real rabbits foot. We just might have to go farther into town.” 

Castiel muttered, sorting through the ingredients in a big paper bag. 

“Fine. Then all we need is Claire’s blood and we’ll be good.” Dean cheered, reaching between him and Castiel to poke Claire’s cheek. She smiles and grabs his finger. She examines it with close care, running the pad of her very small finger along his.   
 Castiel’s smile drops from his face. He goes pale at the thought of hurting Claire.   
 “Cas?” Dean mumbles. Cas turns his head to the voice. “You okay?” Dean worries.

“I don’t want to hurt Claire.”  
 “What? What do you mean?” Dean questions.   
 “I don’t want to have to draw her blood.” Dean’s face falls into a sympathetic smile. He scoots closer to Castiel, squishing Claire into his side but not pulling his hand free of hers.   
 “It’s only a drop, we could just prick her finger.” Castiel suddenly picks Claire up into his arms, before retching open the car door and going to stand out on the grass beside where the impala is parked. Before he shuts the door, Dean yells “Sam could do it! She wouldn’t even notice!”  
 Castiel shakes with the cold of the wind, pulling his coat over the human girl. He hears Dean’s door open, and hears his boots hit the highway they are parked on.

“What’s up with you, man?” He asks over Castiel’s shoulder. Cas knows he shouldn't have snapped at Dean. Dean doesn’t know any better, he’s just trying to help. 

“I’m sorry.” Castiel admits, shying away from Dean’s baring eyes in shame.   
 Dean huffs a laugh and shrugs in Cas’ peripheral. “Nothing to be sorry ‘bout.” Casually, Castiel bows his head before turning around. Dean stands from where he is leaning on the car door and walks over, not bothering to shut the door behind him. Dean always stands too close when they are alone, but Castiel will never complain. 

“You’re under a hell of a lot of stress right now.” Dean bids, slowly taking Claire from his hands. Castiel suddenly feels like they are always passing her around like she's a hot potato. Dean sets her on his shoulder and bounces as he speaks. “But I’m always here to talk, you know that.” Cas smiles at his feet. Of course he knows that. Dean will always be there for him. 

“There are… whispers… in the uh… angel radio. They keep saying “Claire Novak is powerful.” and it’s scaring me. I feel like… I have this feeling that someone is going to try and hurt Claire, because of the power trapped within her human body that is not meant to be there. They think she is some… all and powerful creature. A half-human, half-angel because she is an infant now, and I am an angel. They think I reproduced with a human. Resulting in a power-filled human child.” “What does that even mean?”  
 “They want to kill her.” Castiel admits. “Though there is no evidence of this, it is what I feel.” Dean understands. He nods slowly to show to Cas that he does get it, but it’s hard for him to think of someone hurting Claire. 

“No one will hurt her, Cas.”  
 “I’d fly her to a safe place, but I am useless without my wings. And I already ruined her life once, and I get a second chance to make everything okay and I do it again.” Castiel spills, the words he’s been feeling for months now. The months he’s learned about cars and the roar of an engine. The months he’s learned about sore feet and broken shoe souls because his grace isn’t what it used to be.  “Hey. Look at me.” Dean demands. Cas hadn’t even noticed how he was looking at the ground like it was way more fascinating then looking into green eyes. He snaps his head back to the present day and focuses.   
 “You are not useless. Never say such a terrible thing. How could you think you were useless? You have been nothing but wonderful to her, I don't know how you think you are ruining her life again.” He tries to make light of the conversation by pulling Claire out at arms length. Cas takes her into his hold and feels again that they are just passing her around, and wonders if she gets dizzy from this. Castiel hols her under his chin and sprawled over his chest. She huffs warm air into his collarbone where she clings to him.   
 “She loves you.”  
 “She would still be a teenager if it wasn’t for me.”  
 “You were trying to help; and you did. If you weren't there, Sammy might have gotten smoked.” Dean argues. Castiel nuzzles into Claire, looking for comfort.   
 “Hey, come on.” Dean insists, pulling Castiel by the shoulder.“You’re okay. She’s okay. Everything is okay.” Dean reminds him, and Castiel finally takes a moment to breathe. Cas pushes down the thought of wanting to hug Dean, because that’s ineffective. He searches for the comfort he desires in Claire’s small hands gripping his shirt and small head pressed under his jaw. He can feel Dean’s worry radiating like a furnace and surrounding the area, making the night colder then it was. 

“You okay?” Dean finally asks, Cas looks away but figures it was better to meet green eyes and really play the part. “Yes.” he lies, but if Dean can tell, he doesn’t say anything. 

+++

As soon as the mixture is placed into the baby bottle, and forced between Claire’s teeth, she drinks it like it’s soda. 

“I wonder if it tastes good…” Dean wonders aloud. Castiel presses a hand into his lower back to keep him focused, but all it does is make him jump back, ripping the bottle from Claire’s lips. The warmth of Cas’ hand is long gone and the whole room is looking at him with a judgemental stare. he shakes his head, rattling the loose screws in his scull before pushing the nipple of the bottle back into Claire’s mouth. Her blue eyes are wide, and kind of remind him of another curious blue eye baby, the one who just touched Dean in a way that was way too intimate, yet he still wishes he would do it again so Dean could react the way he wanted too. He only notices his hands shaking once he sees Claire’s lips moving up and down to try and keep the bottle still. She has one small hand underneath it, but she can hardly hold the hand up as it is. Claire’s head falls back against the pillow that’s behind her, and her eyes search Castiel’s. 

“Let me…uh.. take it from here.” Cas says, almost pushing Dean out of the way, long fingers that Dean has learned to find really attractive wrap around the bottle and hold it steady for the baby. Dean moves out of the way and goes to sit on the bed. 

“What else do we gotta do.” Dean croaked, still embarrassed by the way he jumped out of Castiel’s touch when all he wants during his days is that exactly. 

“Well, we wait. They said that witches leave power behind and that this will just flush the power out.” Sam replies, looking a little more sober. He took a swig of the potion too, but with his own blood instead of Claire's. Dean really isn't into this witchy-bubbly cauldron shit, but Sam already looks better, so he pushes his anxiety down.   
 Dean watches Castiel put the bottle on the table with a huff as he stands and brings her into his arms. 

“Cas, you wanna be on dinner duty?”  
 “Not really.” He says, discarding Claire on the floor to crawl as she pleased, because they learned she could move on her own when she crawled away from them at the grocery store that morning. 

“Please? I’ll watch her, and Sam’s gotta have a shower.”   
“What? Do I smell?”  
 “Like sick, actually.” Dean bites, earning a worried look from Sam.   
 “Fine.” Castiel gives in. He always does. He straightens his jacket, takes orders and his keys off the table, and is out the door before anyone can say goodbye. 

While he’s out, Dean helps Sam walk into the bathroom with an arm under his armpits. Sitting him on the toilet and running the water. He leaves just before Sam drops his boxers, because no thank you!   
When Claire lets out a wail, Dean doesn’t know if its his hunting or his parenting instinct, but he jumps and rushes around the bed to find her head first under the bed, repetitively bonking her head on the bed frame and crying. He pulls her by her legs, forcing her little shirt to go up her tummy, and she cries at that too. Dean gathered her in his arms, checking her head for a bump and her stomach for carpet burn.   
“Oh no no no, shhhh.” He begs, hugging her close and letting her cry into his chest. He sits against the bed and rubs his thumbs down her back. He can’t help but think of how much he likes this. Being a comfort to someone. When she breathes soft huffs on his teeshirt and the tears have slowed, he sings a song he knows all the lyrics too, and one that is slow enough to calm her.   
 “Made up my mind to make a new start, going to California with an aching in my heart.” He coos. While he knows his voice isn’t Rob Plant, Claire doesn't seem to mind. 

“Someone told me there's a girl out there with love in her eyes and flowers in her hair.” He’s sang his song so many times, he can’t even remember. It’s one of the one slow, lovey songs he knows, but it’s still Led Zeppelin, so it’s still cool. He remembers singing to Sam while stitching a cut in his leg the length of his forearm. Or singing to Cas the first time he had a nightmare, the night he fell. Sitting on the floor by his bedside, singing and running his hand in circles over Cas’ back. Then Castiel sang the same calming song into his ear where they cuddled up together in Purgatory. 

Is he selfish for wanting Castiel to remember Purgatory? Wanting him to remember the rushed kisses and huddling under creepy trees, the nights slept side by side with hands grounding each other? Does he want Castiel to remember the pained nights, the slashed necks?

The bathroom door swings open reviling a semi-naked Sam, hair dripping and falling near his shoulders. It’s so damn long he has to brush it away from his eyes every once in a while. He puts his index finger to his lip as he stands, still singing softly. “Took my chances on a big jet plane, never let them tell you that they're all the same.”

“Really Dean?” Sam blurts, making Claire’s head pop up in question. As soon as she sees the Sasquatch of a man, only dressed in a towel who looks like he was just drowned in an ocean, she lets out another cry and buries her face in Dean’s shoulder.   
 “No, shhh, Claire. It’s just Sammy, see? Just Sammy.” Sam pushes his hair from his face and stands behind Dean, waving at her. Her scared eyes meet his but they just dart down again and hide. Sam takes this time to turn away and put some real clothes on. Clearly the shower has helped him sober up, but he still sways when he stands to pull a grey tee over his head. 

“Alright! Time to change the station!” Dean mused, poking Claire in her wet cheek, making a beeping noise and changing to “Come and get your love” which was more for cheering up then calming down. 

“Hey!” Dean starts, hearing Sam echo a “hey!” in the back. “Whats the matter with your head?”

“Hey! Whats the matter with your mind, and all your sighing?” He dances, moving to sit Claire on the floor with him, planting her two feet on the ground and holding her hands to make her stand. 

“Nothing's a matter with your head, baby, find it, c’mon on and find it.” She's laughing now, smiling a bright gummy smile that does not remind him of Castiel. 

“Hell, with it, baby, 'cause you're fine and you're mine! And you look so divine!” He singsongs, shaking her hands around to shake her out of her tears. “Come and get your love!” Dean sings, hearing Sam mock him in the background, but plays along. 

Castiel comes bursting through the door looking like he just got back from another trip to hell. Greasy bags in one hand and a couple of crumpled bills in the other. He breathes out a sigh, dropping the bag on the bed and slumping in a chair.

“Look, she’s gonna walk soon!” 

Castiel groans. “When will she grow up, Sam?” Dean will admit, Cas doesn’t look good. He looks tired and frustrated, and almost angry. Dean pats the ground beside him before Sam can even answer. Castiel looks down at him with big blue eyes that are too sad for Dean’s liking. Castiel sits against the bed like Dean was, watching Claire stand in the V of Dean’s legs. Dean bumped into his shoulder playfully, wanting to cheer him up. 

“Hey! What’s the matter with your feel right? Don't you feel right, baby?” He continues the song, looking over at Castiel as he sings the last word in the line. Claire bounces and Dean moves to hold around her waist to let her jump. He helps her by lifting her up and bouncing her on the ground. Little feet kicking out, and big laughs running through her. 

“Hey, oh, yeah, get it from the main vine, alright! I said-a find it, find it, darling, love it.” Cas is smiling now, soft and subtle, but a smile that Dean notices. He sings in his best voice, trying not to blush when Castiel’s eyes go from Claire to him every few words he sings. 

“If you like it, yeah-eh! Hey!” Dean lets his shoulder fall against Cas’ while he struggles to keep Claire upright, while letting her jump around.

“It's your business if you want some, take some.” And Dean looks to Cas before singing “get it together, baby! Come and get your love!” And at that, he comes out of dream world to find Sam and his cell phone, laughing his ass off. 

“Charlie’s gonna love this.” Sam mutters, wiping away a tear. Dean can’t even argue. 

+++  
 Someone is whispering his name and shaking him. When his eyes open into the dark room, other then the light over the motel sink, Sam is crouched on the floor beside his bed. His hair is askew and teeshirt that once belonged to John falling off his shoulder. Castiel is standing at the end of the bed. Blue eyes noticeable in any room as dark as this one.   
“What!?” Dean whispers in the angriest voice he can muster. Sam is pointing a shaking finger behind him and it reminds Dean of when Sam was young. Pointing with wide eyes, holding his AK 47 in one hand as he points to the monster that it creeping behind his older brother. He knows that if there was real danger, Sam would already have his gun at the ready, and Castiel would be pulling Dean away from the fighting zone. When he notices Claire isn't tucked into his shoulder like she was last night, he spins his head to find her. 

Well… at least he thinks its her.   
 The child sitting on the bed is clearly not who she was last night. She’s aged what looks like five years, and is sitting on her knees, looking around like she's scared. The pants she wore yesterday have rode up to shorts around her thighs. Her shirt looked like a crop top that Dean sees some of the girls at bars wear and he instantly feels disgusted that Claire is wearing it. Her hair is long and pooling on her shoulders.   
“Claire?” Dean chances, his voice making her head snap up to look at him.   
 “Dee!” She cheers, reaching grabby fists for him. Dean lets out a breath he didn’t know he was holding and laughs. He pulls her onto his lap and she smiles around at the room.

“Dad!” She exclaims, pointing to the man standing at the end of the bed. Dean wonders if she only knows that Cas is her dad because of memories. Castiel comes to sit beside Dean on the bed, pushing the blankets away. Claire looks about five years old now.

“She knows my name.” Dean breathes, starring into bright blue eyes, brushing away blonde hair. He hugs her and she winds her arms around his neck. Dean feels soft, like he’s holding back tears. He didn’t know how much she meant to him until she called him by the same nickname Sam used to call him. He laughs against her shoulder, pulling back and meeting Castiel’s eyes. He doesn't know why he does it, but he picks up Castiel’s hand and holds it, locking their fingers together. Castiel’s eyes are bright and beautiful when he lifts them from their hands and they land on Dean’s. Dean would kiss him, right here in front of the kid and his brother, right here on a dingy motel bed in the middle of Pontiac Illinois, at six AM on a Tuesday. 

But he doesn’t.

+++  Five year old Claire is very difficult. 

She liked to stomp her feet when Uncle Sam say’s he’ll pick up lunch, and leave the rest of them at the motel room. She screams and cries, yelling out how she wants to go to the restaurant too, and thats how Claire is sitting on the edge of the table, scooping loads of pudding into her mouth while Cas tries to make sure she doesn't fall off. Dean munches on a burger while Sam eats a salad, and all seems well.

“Can we go to the park?” asks Claire in her sweet little girl voice she knows will make Dean agree. Dean scrunches up his face in mock thought and then nods. “Maybe Sammy will take you.” Claire nods happily. 

Sam chases her around the gravel park and up the slide. 

They go down the slide and on the monkey bars, even on the swings. 

Dean and Castiel sit in the front seat of the car while they watch, hands loosely wrapped together, resting on Cas’ thigh.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm @ghostycas on tumblr. Come say hi!


End file.
